Getty The Thompson Family Behind-the-Scenes at the "Solid Foundation" Video Shoot.
Picking up two rings with the Lakers at the tail end of the Showtime Era, Mychal Thompson has earned the respect of Laker fans worldwide despite only playing five seasons with the team at the end of his career. The father of fellow NBA champion and arguably one of the best shooters in NBA history – Klay Thompson – Mychal is still an active figure in the basketball community along with maintaining an active presence on Los Angeles radio airwaves.
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Mychal Thompson Shares His Ideal Lakers Starting Lineup
Mychal Thompson shares his Lakers starters. Who’s in your starting five? (via @champagnennuts)
The former Laker tweeted out his ideal starting lineup that includes Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and DeMarcus Cousins. The lineup makes sense on paper as Rondo, Davis, and Cousins all have experience playing high-level basketball together and the addition of LeBron alongside them only takes the group to an entirely new level. While there are questions about Rondo (age) and Cousins (health), if both play to the best of their abilities, Thompson’s starting lineup would be a menace both offensively and defensively next season.
Thompson also breaks down his ideal first five off the bench which features Kyle Kuzma, Quinn Cook, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, and Avery Bradley. Relegated to the bench as the sixth man, Kuzma could experience a breakout year in terms of his efficiency and depending on how much the Lakers intend to preserve James and Davis, could see massive minutes off the bench. Kuzma has the skill set to eviscerate second units and as the primary option off the bench, should be able to utilize his “attack-first” mindset to the best of his abilities. Even if the Lakers wind up putting heavy miles on the two elite forwards, expect Kuzma to see some time playing alongside both and be a crucial weapon off the bench for the offense.
Lakers Continue Hunt for Final Roster Spot
For the time being, it seems the Lakers are comfortable sitting back and waiting to see how the Grizzlies handle the Andre Iguodala situation. Though widely expected to buy out the final year of Iguodala’s deal after landing him via trade, the Grizzlies now seem driven to find a trade partner for Iggy – something that doesn’t seem likely given his age and contract. Iguodala’s championship experience and versatility off the bench would be a huge boost to the Lakers and compared to other options available, it seems worth waiting to see how the situation plays out.
If the Lakers don’t land Iggy, expect them to try and possibly add a bit more depth behind DeMarcus Cousins and JaVale McGee. While both are incredibly talented, both have a history of injury at this point and the Lakers could do much worse than bringing on a player like Kenneth Faried to help add a high-energy big off the back of the bench.
The Lakers next – and last – addition shouldn’t be expected to play too big of a role of the bench, however, the Lakers have the ability to gain another stable veteran player to help bolster what is already shaping up to be a strong locker room culture.